Hello I am a 21 year old practicing Catholic from Los Angeles,Ca. About 7 years ago i lost my grandmother to cancer, 2 years ago i lost my best friend, for the past years i have been struggling to deal with it but have continued to attend mass and receive communion. This past year I have been having the strangest dreams about both my grandma and best friend but in the end up the dream i see both of them smile and gives me a feeling that they are okay and in Gods hands. But, there are two dreams out of all of them that i will never forget and still brings tears to my eyes as i think of them. Mary the mother of God appeared in my dream, i was in a very dark room kneeling down crying. as i looked up i seen a beautiful woman,with beautiful skin,red hair(i have red hair)and beautiful smile. i didn't second question whether it was her or not I knew the minute i broke down in tears and woke up in tears. Months after my parents are struggling with money and paying the bills. I have a dream that I am sitting in my living room, petting my dog while watching television with my father. An elderly man walks into my house wearing white drapes and has light surrounding him. I immediately down down, have tears in my eyes and ask for forgiveness. He places his hand on my head and smiles at me. He walks towards my father; my father kneels down and kisses his hand. Through this dream i woke up with tears and my body feeling very different; as well as the Virgin Mary dream. Only this time Pope John Paul II visited me and my father(who looks up to Pope John Paul II). I know it was really them in my dream as well as my grandma and best friend because i can feel it in my body. It feels as if and angel has touched me during those dreams. I have tried sharing my dream with a priest at my local church and quiet didn't understand me. Am i being forgiven for my sins as i was struggling to deal with the deaths in my life? Do people normally have these dreams about Mary Mother of God and specifically Pope John Paul II? I truly feel blessed to be having these dreams; I would like a perspective and help with a better understanding on my visits in my dreams. Thank you for taking the time for reading my story.

Answer by David Gregson on 2/4/2014:

I can't answer the question of whether the Blessed Mother and Bl. John Paul II really appeared to you in your dreams. But if you received comfort in "seeing" them, you can thank God for it. His providence governs everything, and if your dreams gave you peace and strengthened your faith, you can presume they came from Him. The only dreams we have to beware of is those that move us to sin.

As for forgiveness for your struggles, not all struggles over the death of a loved one are sins. But if you are in doubt as to whether your sorrow reached the point of rebelling against God's will, you should confess them to a priest. This is the way instituted by Christ, as I'm sure the Blessed Mother and Bl. John Paul II would tell you.